Drug Lord: The Book

"The drug smuggling business goes on, the slaughtered dead pile up, the U.S. agencies continue to ratchet up their budgets, the prisons grow larger and all the real rules of the game are in this book, some kind of masterpiece." -- Charles Bowden

Tagged: Juarez drug cartels

More than 100 gunmen took part in a series of large-scale shootouts between factions of the Sinaloa and Juarez Cartels in the border state of Chihuahua. The skirmish took place in a rural mountain area that went on for more than eight hours until state and federal authorities arrived.

The fighting occurred in the rural community of Uruachi where the 1,100 residents were left helpless as the local police force stood helplessly after being outgunned and outnumbered by the large cartel armies, El Diario de Chihuahua reported.

The convoys of gunmen taking part in the fighting that went on for hours were described as carrying high-powered rifles and wearing tactical gear. When the two rival armies clashed near the rural community, local police officers were rapidly overwhelmed, forcing them to back off and wait for state and military forces to arrive. According to statements made by local mayor Hacel Campos Rascon, authorities arrived eight hours after the shooting began.

According to the state attorney general and Breitbart law enforcement sources, the fighting took place between a group called Gente Nueva, who are part of the Los Salazar faction of the Sinaloa Cartel. Gente Nueva is currently led by Noriel “El Chueco” Portillo. The second group involved in this confrontation was led by César Daniel “H2” Manjarrez Alonso, whose organization is under the Juarez Cartel, also known as the Nuevo Cartel de Juarez (NCDJ).

Sources within the Chihuahua Attorney General’s Office revealed to Breitbart Texas that the confrontation is believed to be in retaliation for the recent kidnapping of the chief of police of the community of Carichí, Cipriano “Pano” Escárcega Aranda, El Heraldo De Chihuahua reported. The local police chief is also the father of Julio César “El Tigre” Escárcega Murillo, the leader of the Sinaloa Cartel faction called Gente Nueva del Tigre.

The kidnapping took place on October 3 when a convoy of at least eight trucks with 20 armed cartel gunmen led by Manjarrez Alonso stormed the house of the police chief. Despite a gun battle to rescue the police chief, the kidnappers were able to escape with their victim.

The Sinaloa and the Juarez Cartels are fighting over control of key smuggling routes to bring drugs and humans into the U.S. One of these areas being fought over is the remote home of the Tarahumara Indians, who live in the mountainous communities surrounding Uruachi.

Robert Arce is a retired Phoenix Police detective with extensive experience working Mexican organized crime and street gangs. Arce has worked in the Balkans, Iraq, Haiti, and recently completed a three-year assignment in Monterrey, Mexico, working out of the Consulate for the United States Department of State, International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Program, where he was the Regional Program Manager for Northeast Mexico (Coahuila, Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon, Durango, San Luis Potosi, Zacatecas.)
Read More Stories About: